Have you tried Yoga Nidra? A form of yogic meditation

Yoga Nidra?

One of my yoga teachers suggested that I try yoga Nidra practice. Despite having practiced several different styles of yoga over the years and thoroughly enjoying Shivasana meditation afterward (corpse pose) I hadn’t yet tried Yoga Nidra.

So looking through some yoga practice today on my Gaia membership I came across a half-hour yoga Nidra session.

Yoga Nidra means ‘yogic sleep with awareness’ and is otherwise described by practitioners as ‘the art of body sleeping’.

As somebody who finds meditation very beneficial, plus any kind of body work or energy work, I was immediately curious and decided to give this half hour session a try.

Oh. My. I love yoga Nidra!

Will be doing it more from now on.

I realized when the session started that my yoga teacher had been incorporating Yoga Nidra into her Shivasana practice after our yoga lessons at the YMCA.

My teacher is so committed to the yoga way that she provides extra (unpaid) time to us in order that we can have a full hour of yoga, followed by a good 10 minutes of Savasana and meditation.

What can I say about this yoga Nidra session I tried online?

First I made sure I was comfortable with a bolster under my knees. Next time I’ll add another blanket since I got a little chilly towards the end of the half hour but felt so relaxed and into the session that I didn’t want to get up.

I also used one of those weighted little bags to cover my eyes. If you don’t have one of those, eye covers such as you can get when flying on airplanes will do just as well. It’s worth it to encourage the extra relaxation. Or simply fold a towel or scarf over your eyes. The main thing is to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible in Shivasana.

So yoga Nidra is a kind of guided meditation, but it’s all about the body

The one I listened to went through several different relaxation techniques while I zoned in and out of awareness.

As Yoga Nidra is all about ‘the art of body sleeping’ it’s important to stay awake to get the most out of it!

I do remember being instructed to relax all the different muscles in my face and head…and then we went on some kind of body journey from there…

Another part I do recall is working with the right side of my body only, starting with all the bones in one arm, then the leg, then the hips…then torso…then connecting all the energy in one side of the body before working on the other side.

It was totally amazing and I’m going to do it again! Let me know if you practice Yoga Nidra and if you have any favorite CDs or recordings?

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About Sarah Lawrence

Sarah is an Akashic energy intuitive and gives New World Energetics Readings. Learn how to sense your energy field (and others), get connected with your Akashic Records, learn how to balance your energy - personal growth on the Spiritual Journey. Connect on Skype at 'NewWorldEnergetics' or call 1-316 247 4144